Les Bowen

STAFF WRITER

Les Bowen has covered the Eagles since 2002. Before that, he covered the Flyers for 13 years. He came to the Daily News from the Charlotte Observer in May 1983, just as the Sixers were winning the NBA championship. He thought, "Gosh, this sort of thing must happen all the time here."

Andy Reid tapdanced when asked today if there was any way Kolb could win back the job permanently with a strong performance this week. He said he was only thinking about the Titans.

"We’re worried about Tennessee right now and we’re not worried about starting jobs," Reid said. "You guys can worry about all that. We’re worried right now about trying to put together a gameplan, learn the gameplan and execute the gameplan. That’s what I think Kevin is focused in on, that’s what we’re focused in on as coaches. I haven’t thought about all that other stuff.”

Kolb said he will "continue to prepare like a starter, and that way I'm ready when my name's called. Whatever he decides, he decides."

"It's really not as hard as what people think" to focus on the week ahead, and not the larger picture, Kolb said.

On the TV screens hanging above the lockers, the ESPN graphic spoke of the NFL's crackdown on concussion-causing hits, provoked by last weekend's incidents, including the gruesome collision between the Eagles' DeSean Jackson and Atlanta's Dunta Robinson. Neither Jackson nor Robinson is expected to play this week, and Robinson has been fined $50,000.

"As defensive players, those are the types of plays you WANT to make," he said. "I'm going to go out there and play football like I always do."

"It's something that needs to be addressed," said quarterback Kevin Kolb, who will have to face a ferocious Tennessee defense this week without Jackson. "But it's a fine line, because you still want guys to go out there and play aggressive football ... There's maybe a slight hesitation with those (defensive) guys now. Maybe it helps us offensively, I don't know. But I don't know how you play the game full speed and then at the last second, decide how you're going to hit 'em. But I'm not on that side of the ball, so I don't have much of a feeling on it."

Kolb, who lost the starting job after suffering a Week 1 concussion, said that with bigger, faster players, "we've seen it this year, the numbers are staggering with the concussions. I think the league is doing a good job of doing what they can."

Kolb said he was "very afraid" as players from both teams knelt around Robinson and Jackson Sunday.

"That's a part of the game none of us wants to see or wants to watch," he said. "I'd be shocked if many of the players in the locker room have gone back and watched that hit very much ... Hopefully that's not going to be in our game too much longer."